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Ribbon Rescue
Best-selling author Robert Munsch unveils another hilarious story about a little girl named Jillian, whose help leaves her in a bind!
Jillian loves her new ribbon dress her grandma made especially for her. When she goes outside, she meets a groom, on his way to a church, but his shoes need fixing, and so Jillian takes a part of the ribbon from her dress to help. Then Jillian uses her ribbons to help the bride with her hair and next, to wrap a wedding gift. Soon, Jillian's dress is disheleved mess! But Jillian's efforts are rewarded when the bride and groom ask her to be their flower girl. And so Jillian walks down the aisle in her worn-out ribbon dress!
Jillian loves her new ribbon dress her grandma made especially for her. When she goes outside, she meets a groom, on his way to a church, but his shoes need fixing, and so Jillian takes a part of the ribbon from her dress to help. Then Jillian uses her ribbons to help the bride with her hair and next, to wrap a wedding gift. Soon, Jillian's dress is disheleved mess! But Jillian's efforts are rewarded when the bride and groom ask her to be their flower girl. And so Jillian walks down the aisle in her worn-out ribbon dress!
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
2 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
About the author
Robert Munsch
287 books1,640 followersRobert Munsch was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Fordham University in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and from Boston University in 1971 with a Master of Arts degree in anthropology.
He studied to become a Jesuit priest, but decided he would rather work with children after jobs at orphanages and daycare centers. In 1973, he received a Master of Education in Child Studies from Tufts University. In 1975 he moved to Canada to work at the preschool at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario. He also taught in the Department of Family Studies at the University of Guelph as a lecturer and as an assistant professor. In Guelph he was encouraged to publish the many stories he made up for the children he worked with.
Munsch's wife delivered two stillborn babies in 1979 and 1980. Out of the tragedy, he produced one of his best-known books, Love You Forever. This book was listed fourth on the 2001 Publishers Weekly All-Time Best selling Children's Books list for paperbacks at 6,970,000 copies (not including the 1,049,000 hardcover copies). The Munsches have since become adoptive parents of Julie, Andrew and Tyya (see them all in Something Good!)
Munsch has obsessive-compulsive disorder and has also suffered from manic depression. In August 2008, Munsch suffered a stroke that affected his ability to speak in normal sentences. He has recovered enough that he is able to perform live, but has put his writing career on hold until he is fully recovered.
He studied to become a Jesuit priest, but decided he would rather work with children after jobs at orphanages and daycare centers. In 1973, he received a Master of Education in Child Studies from Tufts University. In 1975 he moved to Canada to work at the preschool at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario. He also taught in the Department of Family Studies at the University of Guelph as a lecturer and as an assistant professor. In Guelph he was encouraged to publish the many stories he made up for the children he worked with.
Munsch's wife delivered two stillborn babies in 1979 and 1980. Out of the tragedy, he produced one of his best-known books, Love You Forever. This book was listed fourth on the 2001 Publishers Weekly All-Time Best selling Children's Books list for paperbacks at 6,970,000 copies (not including the 1,049,000 hardcover copies). The Munsches have since become adoptive parents of Julie, Andrew and Tyya (see them all in Something Good!)
Munsch has obsessive-compulsive disorder and has also suffered from manic depression. In August 2008, Munsch suffered a stroke that affected his ability to speak in normal sentences. He has recovered enough that he is able to perform live, but has put his writing career on hold until he is fully recovered.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 4, 2021
Beautiful story. I cry thinking about it. Love u Robert
February 29, 2024
Kind of feels like Munsch's take on the Giving Tree, except the little girl gives away all the ribbons on her dress instead (The Ribbon Tree?). It's not his best story, but it's cute and I like that it incorporates Mohawk culture into the story. Not crazy about the illustrations though.
I wouldn't exactly call him woke, but I do appreciate how Munsch was ahead of his time with the representation and diversity in his stories. This is a man who met all sorts of people and read to kids from all walks of life.
I wouldn't exactly call him woke, but I do appreciate how Munsch was ahead of his time with the representation and diversity in his stories. This is a man who met all sorts of people and read to kids from all walks of life.
March 28, 2012
I loved it! Very simple & short story with some repetitive lines/happenings (but not so many that it drives the parent crazy!)that children will enjoy. The plot actually shows the helpful and happy results of a young girl helping others! But the "moral" is subtle, rather than heavy-handed, so it can lead to some great parent-child Q & A/ discussion time. The "ribbon girl", Jillian, is based on a Mohawk girl from the Kahnawake reserve near Montreal, Quebec, and the dress is a traditional Mohawk costume. (A copy for sale in my bookstore.)
March 8, 2019
Mohawk culture.
Jillian has a new ribbon dress. She gives her ribbons away to help others - bride, groom, guests, best man. As she helps others, her dress gets filthy and she no longer looks dressed up. When she arrives at the church, a man refuses to let her in based on her appearance. The bride and groom solve this and make her the flower girl. They accept and honor her for who she is.
Jillian has a new ribbon dress. She gives her ribbons away to help others - bride, groom, guests, best man. As she helps others, her dress gets filthy and she no longer looks dressed up. When she arrives at the church, a man refuses to let her in based on her appearance. The bride and groom solve this and make her the flower girl. They accept and honor her for who she is.
January 2, 2019
Fun little story incorporating Mohawk culture. This was recommended to me by a young Mohawk woman who adored it.
It so reminds me of another story about a ribbon dress... which I can’t remember and will check through my read list to figure out!
It so reminds me of another story about a ribbon dress... which I can’t remember and will check through my read list to figure out!
December 29, 2018
Ribbon Rescue has a Giving Tree vibe to it. Jillian is such a sweet kid, sacrificing her beautiful dress to help other people.
It was a pleasant surprise that Jillian and her grandmother were going to the same wedding of the people she helped, I felt sad for her when she wasn't allowed inside the church because her dress was so dirty.
The bride and the groom were the sweetest out of the people that Jillian helped; they didn't care that Jillian looked messy, or dirty, she helped everyone, so they helped her.
Fantastic story.
It was a pleasant surprise that Jillian and her grandmother were going to the same wedding of the people she helped, I felt sad for her when she wasn't allowed inside the church because her dress was so dirty.
The bride and the groom were the sweetest out of the people that Jillian helped; they didn't care that Jillian looked messy, or dirty, she helped everyone, so they helped her.
Fantastic story.
July 23, 2020
Geez, why is everyone late to the wedding? Why does she have to keep giving everyone directions as if they don't know where they're going? How did she get there before the bride and groom? The moral of the story is to be generous and giving. The author points out at the end of the story that Julianne is a Mohawk Native American, so, I wish that Julianne would have looked more like a Mohawk instead of just a white brunette girl.
February 17, 2024
Kindness is always paid back with kindness. This young girl saves a wedding with her wonderful ribbon dress. Even though at the end, she may be torn, tattered, and messy. She still had the brightest smile on her face as she became the flower girl for the wedding. A great story about helping others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2018
I'm sure I appreciated this far more than my toddler... will re-visit again when she's a bit older. A wonderful story!
March 6, 2020
Good book showing the kindness of a little girl in giving, just didn't like the end of the book referring to her dress as a costume.
March 1, 2021
Picked this cool book up and it did not disappoint! Using what you have and your gifts and skills can lead you to where you need to be!!
December 6, 2022
A empathically lovely indigenous story.
May 25, 2025
I like stories where children are kind and are rewarded for it, especially after being misunderstood.
October 6, 2025
A little girl sacrifices her dress to help make sure a wedding can happen.
October 5, 2025
Jillian’s grandmother made her a lovely ribbon dress for a special event. When Jillian went outside she ended up sacrificing ribbons to help several people. By then her dress was messy and dirty but because she had given away all her beautiful ribbons something wonderful happened. Fabulous illustrations.
December 6, 2012
I was reminiscing recently on my Elementary school days and the books I used to read. When I saw a friends review of The Giving Tree and this book suddenly came to mind.
You see, when I was in Elementary school there was an annual school wide storytelling competition that one year I took part in. You would choose a short story and then present that story to your class, you had to use memorization or speech cards, and you could use any props or costumes you wanted. There was a time limit and you had to get the most votes in your class if you wanted to speak in front of the whole school where you could win awards.
Anyways, one year I decided to try my hand at it and I choose this story. My mom made me a cover to go over my cloths that looked like the ribbon dress with ribbons attached with Velcro that could be ripped off. On side of the cover was dirty and the other side was clean. It was wonderful! I practised and practised, but unfortunately didn't get enough votes to move on to speak in front of the school. The boy I was up against in my class, his name was Matthew. He was probably the sweetest boy I have ever known. After he had won, I was so disappointed having been so sure in my performance and it must have shown because he came up to me after it was announced and told me that he had voted for me, even though we were allowed to vote for ourselves.
I believe to this day, that the best sort of stories are the ones that have memories and experiences attached to them. Although my story is a little bitter-sweet, it's something I'm going to remember forever. So this isn't so much a review of the ribbon dress, as a review of what happens when books take on a life of their own beyond the shelves and into peoples lives.
You see, when I was in Elementary school there was an annual school wide storytelling competition that one year I took part in. You would choose a short story and then present that story to your class, you had to use memorization or speech cards, and you could use any props or costumes you wanted. There was a time limit and you had to get the most votes in your class if you wanted to speak in front of the whole school where you could win awards.
Anyways, one year I decided to try my hand at it and I choose this story. My mom made me a cover to go over my cloths that looked like the ribbon dress with ribbons attached with Velcro that could be ripped off. On side of the cover was dirty and the other side was clean. It was wonderful! I practised and practised, but unfortunately didn't get enough votes to move on to speak in front of the school. The boy I was up against in my class, his name was Matthew. He was probably the sweetest boy I have ever known. After he had won, I was so disappointed having been so sure in my performance and it must have shown because he came up to me after it was announced and told me that he had voted for me, even though we were allowed to vote for ourselves.
I believe to this day, that the best sort of stories are the ones that have memories and experiences attached to them. Although my story is a little bitter-sweet, it's something I'm going to remember forever. So this isn't so much a review of the ribbon dress, as a review of what happens when books take on a life of their own beyond the shelves and into peoples lives.
October 16, 2019
I like books about giving of yourself to help others in need.
March 21, 2011
Jillian is dressed in a traditional ribbon dress, obviously made of many ribbons, when she realizes people are in need of her help, and the ribbons are what will do the trick. The book focuses on sharing, giving back, helping others in need, and inner beauty. The story could be used to highlight the tradition of the ribbon dress (can't think of the culture it was representing at the moment), or just to teach a lesson on sharing/helping others. Would recommend to any elementary grade.
October 7, 2016
My girls liked it. Seriously, if I was that little girl's grandmother I would have been so upset. Who cares about all the people at the wedding. Seriously, if they are all going to be that defunct on their wedding day...they probably wouldn't notice the lace-less shoes and messy hair. Bunch of misfits...except, of course, for the grandmother.
April 28, 2011
Pretty illustrations depict a story about a girl given a traditional Mohawk Ribbon Dress and a crazy wedding party. Geared towards girls, but a good story none-the-less. Easy reading.
-problem solving
-helping others
-what goes around comes around
-culture/ethnicity
-problem solving
-helping others
-what goes around comes around
-culture/ethnicity
February 29, 2012
She does not only give up her ribbons but she also helps everyone to get to the wedding faster with a skateboard, bike and other modes of transportation
A young girl unselfishly gives away the ribbons from her new dress to help various people on their way to a wedding.
A young girl unselfishly gives away the ribbons from her new dress to help various people on their way to a wedding.
November 9, 2012
Pb 13? This is the sort of book my grandmother used to keep in her house for us to read when we were young. It was really cute and the story was unique, I especially liked that the dress is a traditional sort of dress. Has a great moral for kids and the illustrations are funny and made me giggle.
December 17, 2012
I tend to favor the Munsch books that lean towards "funny" rather than those that lean towards "cute". That said, even though this one falls into the later category, it is really well done and a delightful little story.
September 19, 2013
I like the moral of the story that it teaches children. After I read it to my students at the YMCA, they told me that in their opinion it teaches you to be kind to others. So I would use it in my future classrooms to teach children about sharing and being kind.
January 21, 2014
When I was reading this aloud to 4 year olds today I realized how much I still love this book and it generates such a good response from kids!
This is a wonderful book that teaches that beauty comes from one's spirit. This book has a clever plot and great language for a read aloud.
This is a wonderful book that teaches that beauty comes from one's spirit. This book has a clever plot and great language for a read aloud.
April 2, 2016
Ribbon Rescue was an amazing story written by the very talented Robert Munsch. This story features a little girl who helps out a bride on her wedding day when a crisis occurs. The little girls saves the day and the wedding. She is then known as the town hero.
September 11, 2007
a young girl gifts the ribbons from her dress to a variety of people in need of ribbons on their way to a wedding. Simple, repetitive text "we're late. we're lost".
August 22, 2008
A totally sweet book with a great message. A perfect book for little boys and girls (and bigger ones too!), who want a moral and a message. :)
October 30, 2008
I really liked the girl's dress! I also liked the twist in the story.
April 28, 2017
I don't think this is one of Munsch's better books. My main interest in it is the Mohawk Indian main character, as I live in the Mohawk Valley.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews